Spike-puller.



M. E. SHAFFER.

SPIKE FULLER.

" APPLICATION FILED JUNBzo, 1910.

1,023,291 Patented June 4, 1912.

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"UN 1TED sTATEs PATENT oF v MACARIUS nsHAFrEn, ois-MOUNT SAVAGE, MARYLAND.

SPIKE-'FULLER To all whom t may concern: i

Be it known that I, MACARIUS E.\ SHAF- FER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mount Savage, in the county of Allegany and State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spike-Fullers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention comprehends certain new and useful improvementsin devices for extracting railway and other spikes, and the invention has for its 'primary object a simple, durable and efficient construction of spike puller composed of comparatively few parts that may be cheaply manufactured and easily assembled, which may be adjusted for different sizes of spikes and sundry of the parts reversed in case they become worn, thereby increasing the usefulness of the device, and which may be easily manipulated to extract the spikes with a minimum amount of time and labor. l

With this arid other objects in View as will more fully appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in certain constructions and arrangements of the parts that Ishall hereinafter `fully describe andclaim.

For a full understanding of the vinvention, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which: n

Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating one application of my improved spike puller, the' handle being broken out in view of limited space; Fig. 2 is a' vertical sec. tional view of the operative end of the device; Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of the reversible blade employed; Fig. 4 is a similar View .of a block and lanabutment employed in connection with the blade and arranged to coact therewith in the ext-raction of a spike; and, Fi-g. 5 is a partial plan and partial horizontal sectional View of a modified form of the device hereinafter specifically `dcribed.

' Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following .description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

The head 1 of my improved spike puller` may be either solid or hollow as judgment may dictate or the requirements of manu- Speccation of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 20, 1910. Serial No. 568,029.

handle being detachably held within the head 1, whereby it may be removed there-` Vfrom whenever desired and used independently as a crow-bar or other tool. For this purpose, either or both ends of thehandle 2 may be beveled, 'as indicated at 3 in Fig. 1. `A blade 4, preferably of steel, is formed intermediate of its ends with an aperture 5 designed to receive a bolt 6 projecting from the forward face of the Vhead 1, whereby said blade is 'securely attached to the head and is capable of being reversed thereon end for end in case one of its beveled ends 5 should become dulled or otherwise injured in use.

Coacting with the blade 4 of the device, is a yoke which in that embodiment of the invent-ion illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, embodies side arms 7 and a blockl 8 mounted between. the arms at one end thereof and constituting a cross bar for the yoke. The

Patented J une 4, 1912if block 8 .may be either formed "integral with the arms 7 or riveted or otherwise securely fastened thereto. Each end of the block is taperedpreferably to an edge as indicated at 9, said edges projecting beyond the side edges of the arms 7 and serving as jaws to coact with the adjacent beveled end of the blade 4 to engage the spike and securely grip the same as the head l is rocked to extract the spike. Preferably the inner face ofthe block 8 is inwardly beveled from versely extending block secured to the inner face of the block S at`the niddle thereof by stud bolts 12 projecting from the abutment and passing through the block 8 and' secured to the latter by nuts screwing on thebolts, or other fastening devices.

A bolt 18 serves to connect'l the handle. 2

'ably connectlng-the yoke to the 'head, the

means employed for this purpose in the with the -head 1 and to pivotally connect present' instance consisting of a plurality of' openings 14 formed in the side walls of the i end of the blade 4 accordingl'to the size of e the spike to be extracted.

If desired, a spur 15 may be secured in the head 1 projecting below the lower' wall thereof and extending from one sideof the head to the'` other, the spur serving to assist inholdin thedevice stationary, and being found use l, if it bedesired to use the head 1 in connection .with the handle2 as a pryis not limited -to the precise construction,l .arrangement and proportlons of the parts y illustrated in Figs. l to 4, but that various changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. For instance, referer-ce'is to be had to Fig. 5, wherein one modification is illustrated. In this view,la designates the head of the device, 2a the handle, 5* the blade secured to the head by.

a bolt 6, and 18a the pivot bolt, all of these parts being substantially like their correspondingly Vnumbered parts in that form of the invention first herein described. The modification consists in the yoke which', in addition to the side arms. 7, includes a cross bar 7* distinct from the block 8, said block being secured to the cross bar by bolts 12a and nutsl screwing thereon, and t-he heads 11 of the bolts serving as the abut ment blocks of the device in lieuof the blocks 11 shown in detail in Fig. 4.

From the foregoing description in connection with the `accompanying drawings, the operation of my improved spike puller will be apparent. For example, if ,the device be used to extract rail spikes, the head of the spike will be received in between the lower beveled end a'of the blade 4 and the handle 2 will be drawn down so as to rock the head 1 and cause the lower jaw 9 and lower edge ofthe blade 4 to tightly engage opposite sides of the head of the spike, a continued downward pressure on the handle serving to partially or completely withdraw the spike. If the spike is of such a length that a single pull, with the parts engaged as just described, will not completely pull the spikes without moving' the upper or free end of the handle 2 down so close to the rail as to render further movement impossible, or at least unhandy or uncomfortableto the operator, the". handle should be given a slight upward swing to release the jaw 9 and blade 4 from the spike head, the

. ing the blade from turning, only one fastening device bein thereby necessary to secure the blade tol te head.

If one end' of the blade 4 becomes dulled, it is obvious that it may be easily reversed end for end. Should one of the jaws 9 become dulled, it is only necessary to Withdraw the bolt-13 and reverse the yoke. Y

Having thus described the inventin,

what isclaimed as new is:

1. A spike puller, comprising a head, a

blade carried by the head Kand pivotally connected thereto intermediate of the ends of the blade, and a yoke provided with a jaw coacting with the blade and embodyin side arms pivotally connected to the hea and extending along opposite side edges of the blade, whereby to assist in holding the blade from turning.

.2. A spike puller, comprisinoa head', a blade carriedby the head, a yoke pivotally connected to the head, the yoke embodying. side arms extendin on op osite sides of the head, and a blo( formed with two oppositely extending jaws adapted to coact with the blade, and an abutment block connected -to the first-named block, the upper yand lower edges of the abutment block being s aced from the adjoining and corresponding edges of the blade. f

3. A spike puller, comprising a hollow head, a blade carriedpby the head, a yoke` pivotally connected to the head and pro- .vided with a jaw adapted to co-act with the blade, a transverse bolt serving as the means for., pivotally connecting the yoke to the head, and a handle inserted in the head and held therein by said bolt.l

In testimony whereof, I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

. MAGARIUS E. SHAFFER. I [L. 8.] Witnesses:

W. N. WooDsoN,

FREDERICK S. S'rrrr. 

